Renting in Alexandria
Alexandria 1-bedroom rent figures carry the same kind of real, disclosed spread found throughout this project: from $1,568/month (Rent.com) to $2,282/month (Zumper), with most sources clustering $1,900-$2,280 -- while the same July 1, 2026 Virginia landlord-tenant law changes disclosed for Arlington (extending the pay-or-quit notice for nonpayment from 5 to 14 days) apply identically in Alexandria, since these are statewide rules.
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Learn moreRent Figures: A Real, Wide, Disclosed Spread
As detailed in the base Alexandria record, five separate 2026 sources produced five different 1-bedroom rent figures: Rent.com at $1,568/month (the clear low outlier), Zumper at $2,282 (May 2026), Apartment List at $2,040 (May 2026), RentCafe at $2,004 for a 734-square-foot unit (June 2026, with a separate building-average figure of $1,941 in February 2026), and RentHop at $2,200 (May 2026, down 5.48% year-over-year from $2,328). Most sources cluster in the $1,900-$2,280 band; treat the full $1,568-$2,282 range as the honest picture rather than one settled number.
The Same Statewide 2026 Change to Nonpayment Eviction Timelines Applies in Alexandria
Effective July 1, 2026, Virginia House Bill 15 and Senate Bill 48 extended the required pay-or-quit notice period for nonpayment of rent from 5 days to 14 days statewide -- meaning a landlord anywhere in Virginia, Alexandria included, must now give a tenant 14 days to pay overdue rent or vacate before proceeding with a nonpayment eviction filing, nearly triple the prior window. Nonpayment notices served before July 1, 2026 remained subject to the prior 5-day standard.
Security Deposits, Entry Notice, and Month-to-Month Rules: The Same Statewide Standards
As disclosed for Arlington, Virginia caps security deposits at two months' rent statewide, with a firm 45-day post-move-out deadline for landlords to return the balance with an itemized deduction statement -- enforceable via a tenant lawsuit in General District Court if missed. Landlords must give at least 72 hours' notice before routine, non-emergency entry (with maintenance completed within 14 days), and month-to-month tenancies require at least 30 days' written notice to terminate -- all standard, statewide Virginia rules applying identically in Alexandria.
The Meals Tax Doesn't Apply to Rent, But It's a Real Alexandria-Specific Living Cost to Budget Around
As detailed on the cost-of-living and taxes topic pages, Alexandria's 5% Meals Tax applies to restaurant dining, not to rent itself -- but it's a real, Alexandria-specific extra monthly cost worth budgeting for renters weighing Alexandria's genuinely dining-and-restaurant-driven Old Town and Del Ray neighborhoods (see the best-areas topic page) against a lower-dining-cost alternative.
Corridor and Neighborhood Rent Variance Is Real
As with home prices, rent varies by neighborhood: North Potomac Yard's newer buildings and Old Town's historic-district properties carry genuinely different rent profiles, per the best-areas topic page's neighborhood-level research. Specific, independently verified per-neighborhood rent figures beyond the citywide ranges above were not confirmed this pass -- a disclosed gap rather than an invented figure.
Key takeaways
- Alexandria 1-bedroom rent figures ranged $1,568-$2,282/month across five 2026 sources, most clustering $1,900-$2,280 -- a real, disclosed spread, broadly similar in kind to (though somewhat lower than) Arlington's own disclosed $1,665-$2,915 range.
- Effective July 1, 2026, Virginia extended the required pay-or-quit notice for nonpayment of rent from 5 to 14 days statewide (HB 15/SB 48) -- applying identically in Alexandria, since this is a statewide law, not a city-specific one.
- Security deposits are capped at 2 months' rent with a 45-day post-move-out return deadline; 72 hours' notice is required for routine entry; 30 days' notice terminates a month-to-month tenancy -- all standard, statewide Virginia rules.
- Alexandria's 5% Meals Tax doesn't apply to rent itself, but is a real, Alexandria-specific extra cost for renters weighing the city's dining-heavy Old Town and Del Ray neighborhoods.
- Rent varies by corridor -- North Potomac Yard's newer buildings and Old Town's historic-district properties carry genuinely different profiles -- though specific per-neighborhood figures weren't independently confirmed this pass.
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